What happened to Theodore?
 

Revd Theodore PRESTON Fellow of Trinity College Cambridge
born 30 Apr 1819 Clapham co Surrey London, son of Revd Matthew Morris PRESTON and Elizabeth GARRETT
1855-1871 Lord Almoner’s professor of Arabic at Cambridge
Married 20 Jan 1863 Caroline Elizabeth BODGER, 1881 she was married, boarding house keeper in Peckham but no Theodore at the address.
Caroline married (ii) 28 Jul 1887 James Taylor CAMPBELL

1870 ‘availed himself of the Clerical Disabilities Relief Act’ and resigned his Holy Orders
c1871 resigned as professor of Arabic at Cambridge.

Then he vanishes. There is no obvious death in the UK.

There is a death of Theodore PRESTON 3 December 1882 Lisbon Portugal, his executor was Sarah Anna NEWMAN widow 7 Grove Terrace Tottenham

1881 at 7 Northumberland Grove Tottenham is Sarah A NEWMAN widow b c1834 Cambridgeshire, with two daughters, Alice Rose born Dec q 1853 Cambridge and Emma Mary b c1861 Islington.
I have been trying to prove a link with Sarah and Revd Theodore with no success, she is widowed with the two daughters in 1871 and I cannot find her in 1861 when she may still have a husband.


Can anyone help me prove that the Lisbon Theodore is the same person as the Revd Theodore?

Not sure if it helps and you probably already know this but both Alice and Emma were born illegitimate so Sarah wasn't married or at least not to the father.

NEWMAN, ALICE ROSE - Order
GRO Reference: 1853 D Quarter in CHESTERTON UNION Volume 03B Page 391

NEWMAN, EMMA MARY - Order
GRO Reference: 1860 D Quarter in CLERKENWELL Volume 01B Page 532

No, I did not know that, but I suspected it, as Alice did not name a father on her marriage certificate. Her Australian death certificate has a father's name, but I was not taking much notice of that!

I wonder if the father was Theodore?? :)

The name on that probate record is Theodoro Preston, Esquire, and he was pretty rich.

Aside - rather unusual for anyone to give up their clerical orders. Did he perhaps have a change of faith?

OC

In 1861 (so two years before she married mid-40's Theodore) Caroline Bodger was 15 (matches with her age in 1871 and 1881) and living with her parents.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interacti...cklabel=Return

They have a servant (out of employment) as a lodger named Anne Newman, born about 1837 in Cambridge. Could this be Sarah Ann (and if it is, what has she done with her children?) or perhaps a close relative?

EDIT - Anne isn't actually in the same household as the Bodgers, but through the same front door! Maybe Theodore was paying for her to live there and so met Caroline?

Did you notice Caroline's second husband was her lodger in 1881?

This is probably Alice in 1861:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interacti...cklabel=Return

Great Shelford is in Chesterton district.

I note that Caroline is said to be 'of full age' in Jan 1863, when she had recently turned 17 (birth reg Q4 1845).

They had one dau together in 1865 (Ethel Emma Preston, died same Q)

I spotted that in the early hours but wasn't sure, I couldn't find Sarah or Emma, who would be somewhere because she was born 1860, but Sarah may be using the name Ann!